Roy Turner Keeps on Rocking with Help from NMHS Cancer Care

Roy Turner has spent years sharing Tupelo’s connection to Elvis Presley. 

When the executive director of the Elvis Presley Birthplace needed oncology care, he found the expertise he needed right here at home with North Mississippi Health Services Cancer Care. 

“We are so blessed to have this care right here in our community,” said Roy, 73, who is fighting stage III small cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of lung cancer. 

Diagnosed in October 2024, he started treatment immediately with chemotherapy and radiation treatment at NMHS Cancer Care in Tupelo.

“It saved my life because I was able to start treatment so fast,” Roy said. 

When the cancer returned last fall, he returned to treatment and is now again in remission. Through both courses of treatment, he has been able to continue working at the Birthplace and enjoying time with his wife of 55 years, Debbie, their daughters, Amanda, Alison and Katie, and their families. 

“Thanks to the team at North Mississippi Health Services, I can still do what I love,” Roy said.  

Acting Quickly to Combat Fast-Moving Cancer

Roy, who started smoking at 14, has been diligent in getting annual lung cancer screenings with with a low dose CT. 

His annual lung cancer screening in July 2024 had been clear, but that fall he developed a cough that wouldn’t clear up. Pulmonologist Dr. Will Edmonson used a robotic-assisted platform to investigate a suspicious lesion in Roy’s lung. Testing revealed he had developed small cell carcinoma, a very aggressive form of lung cancer. 

Once the cancer was identified, the Cancer Care teams led by hematologist-oncologist Dr. Jiahuai Tan and radiation oncologist Dr. Benjamin Hinton moved quickly to start his treatment. Lung cance nurse navigator Stephanie Grove bolstered his confidence in the NMHS team and made sure he had everything he needed.

Roy responded well to the initial treatment and his cancer went into remission in February 2025. Because of his diagnosis, the Cancer Care team kept close watch. When the cancer returned in October 2025, the team was able to quickly get him into treatment and push the cancer back into remission. 

Compassionate Care Kept Roy Rocking

Through Roy’s cancer journey, the deep compassion the NMHS Cancer Care team has for their patients took center stage.

“You can tell when someone is really concerned about you and when someone’s doing a job,” he said. “Everybody from the lady at the front door to the nurses and doctors, they all meet you with a smile.”

The team listened when he talked about his need to stay connected to a purpose. Otherwise, it’s too easy to get stuck in the recliner, he said.

“I told (Dr. Tan) I needed to keep working,” Roy said. “He told me, ‘Absolutely.’” 

Roy would have his chemotherapy before going into work. For radiation treatments, the Radiation Oncology team had him in and out quickly. 

“There were days when I was tired,” he said, “but I tolerated radiation and chemotherapy well.”

Roy became the Birthplace’s executive director after a 48 ½ year career with Sunshine Mills. 

“I never thought of myself as being in tourism, but here I am at 73 and loving every minute of it,” he said. 

There’s No Place Like Home

Once Roy thought if he ever developed cancer he would seek care outside Mississippi at a large academic cancer center like UAB Medicine in Birmingham or MD Anderson Cancer Care in Texas.

Now he’s glad he didn’t follow that impulse. His daughter, Alison, who works with breast cancer patients at NMHS Cancer Care, broadened his perspective. 

“She told me, ‘If there’s something we can’t do, we’ll send you,’” Roy said.

Now he’s had a front row seat for what NMHS Cancer Care can do. 

“Why should I leave Tupelo?” Roy said. “I have perfect care right here in my own backyard.” 

There have been challenging moments. Stenosis in his hip made it difficult to walk. Recently, Roy was hospitalized for two weeks with pneumonia and sepsis. He worked hard to regain his strength at Baldwyn Nursing Facility and is now completing his recovery with assistance from NMHS Home Health. He plans to return to his work at the Birthplace soon. 

“I’ve had so many good nurses, but one gave me something I sorely needed, and it just so happened to be her name, Hope,” he said.

Throughout his journey, Roy has leaned on his family and friends as well at the NMHS team. 

“You have to make up your mind,” Roy said. “I’m not going to stop living well.”